Water-motor.



J. C. BUNNELL.

WATER MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 1' 1915.

Patented Oct. 3, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

UNITED STATES" r TnNr orrion.

JOHN G. BUNNE LLp or BOISE, IDAHO.

WATER-MOTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 3, 1916.

I Application filed July 1, 1915.' Serial No. 37,562.

monly known as wave motors. However,

the present invention is not particularly designed to be actuated by themovement or rolling of the waves, but to be actuated by the constant orsteady flow of the current of rivers, canals or the like. These types ofmotors are especially intended for raising or pumping water forirrigating, or for generating power for various other purposes.

The motors heretofore constructed for this purposehave consisted ofmotor wheels revolving on ahorizontal shaft and provided with aplurality of blades or paddles adapted to be partially submerged underthe surface of the water and actuated by the flow.- ing current.

An object of the invention is to produce a device of the charactermentioned through which the greatest efficiency of motive power from acurrent of water may be obtained, the operation of said device not beingafi'ected or adjustment being required bythe rise and fall of the tide.

With the above object in view, the invention consists in a plurality ofpropelling blades or scoops mounted on a vertical. shaft and entirelysubmerged in a river, canal, or the like, said blades or scoops formingcommunicating passages through which the current of water passes andacts thereupon for rotating the shaft.

A particular feature of the invention resides in so constructing theblades that when the water enters. in the passage formed by one of theblades, it is discharged into and through the passage formed by theother blade and acts thereupon to assist in revolving or rotating thepropelling blades on their axes in the right direction.

A further feature of the invention resides in providing a currentdeflector or means for directing the current to act upon said propellingblades. and in providing means for preventing debris, or the like,from'being carried by the current into contact with and through theblades of the motor.

With the above and other objects in view,

the invention :further consists in a certain novel arrangement of partsand combination of elements hereinafter more fully described andpointedout in the'appended claims.

Referring to 'the drawings which form part of the specification: Figurel is a diagrammatic view illustrating the invention with some of theparts broken away, and

shown in dotted lines, to afford a clear understanding of the invention;Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation taken substantially on line 22 of Fig.land illustrating the invention in operative position in a stream ofwater; Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of the motor wheel orpropelling blades, as shownin Figs. 1 and 2; F ig. 4: illustrates aslightly modified construction of the motor propelling blades or'scoops,as shown in Fig. 2; Fig. 5 illustrates a still further modifiedconstruction of the motor wheel consisting of a plurality of blades orscoops; and Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken on line 6-6 of Fig.5.

Like reference characters denote like parts throughout the specificationand drawlngs. V

Thenumeral 1 indicates the motor shaft suitably supported in verticalposition by the uprights or frame-work 2, rested and suitably anchoredto the river bed, as indicated at 3. The means for supporting the shaft1 in position may be'of any suitable construction, for instance, mayconsist of a concrete foundation 'for' supporting the lower end of theshaft with vertical uprights, or suitable means, for supporting theupper end of the shaft; or may consist of a suitable float designed tomaintain the motor wheel in a submerged and VQItlCill position in theriver. In the present instance, the shaft 1 is secured to the uprights 2by means of the bearings 4 suitably secured to the latter, and di'sposednear the upper end of the shaft 1. The shaft is" slidable within thebearings and has its upper end formed with a collar 5 adapted to engageand rest upon the upperbearingt. The lower extremity of the shaft, .ashere shown, is reduced and rests in a recess formed in a suitablefooting which is anchored in the river bed, as shown at 3 in Fig. 2.

The shaft 1 has keyed thereupon the twin propelling blades or scoops 6providing a water wheel to be acted upon by the current. One or more ofthe twin scoops 6 may be carried or disposed on the shaft, as desired,

and since, as here shown, the lower end of the shaft is provided wth athreaded nut 7 any desired number of the twin scoops or blades may bepositioned upon the shaft or removed therefrom, as occasion may require.In shallow streams, one set of blades may be found sufficient, however,in deeper streams, the sets may be increased as may be desirable ornecessary.

In Figs. 1, 2 and 8, the motor wheel is shown as consisting of aplurality of sets of twin propelling blades 6 adapted to radiate fromthe shaft 1. Each set of blades comprises a pair of oppositely disposedcurved blades or scoops 6 so arranged, relative to the shaft 1, as tohave their radii increasing outwardly therefrom, although the individualconstruction or shape of each scoop G shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, is ofan arch and semi-circular formation, which, as is to be understood, maybe varied as desired. The inner and outer ends of each of the curvedblades 6 are arranged to lie upon opposite sides of the shaft 1 and upona line extending diametrically through the shaft. The inner ends 6 ofthe blades are spaced from the shaft 1 but to a less degree than theirrespective outer ends 6.

A further description of the position of the blades with respect to eachother may be given by stating that the two curved blades 6 are disposedon opposite sides of the shaft, the inner end 6 of one blade and theouter end 6 of the other blade lying upon a line radiating from theshaft, while the other inner and outer ends of said two blades 6 lieupon a line radiating from the shaft in a direction diametricallyopposite-to said first-mentioned radial line; or, in other words, theinner ends of the two curved blades 6 overlap each other and lie onopposite sides of the shaft 1 in spaced relation thereto. Two segmentalsections 7 joined together, or preferably integral, at one of their endsand substantially outlining an 8 formation form the sides of the bladesor scoops, as shownin Fig. 1, and are secured thereto by screws or otherfastening devices 8. The segmental sections 7 are provided at theirjunction with an aperture for the reception of the shaft 1, and arekeyed to the shaft to rotate the same together therewith. be water wheelthus produced consists of two scoop-shaped members 6 forming a passage 9therein communicating with the water openings 10. When more than one setof scoops or blades 6 areused upon the shaft 1, the former are arrangedhorizontally at right angles to each other. By this arrangement thegreatest amount of power and efiiciency can be obtained from the presentdevice. As indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1 of the drawing, the currentof water flow ing into the water entrance 10 of one of the twin scoops 6acts upon the curved blade or back 6 to rotate the same upon its axis.On account of the curved back or blade 6, the water is deflected andpasses through the passage 9, formed in the scoop, to be dischargedthrough the other water opening 10 of said twin scoops 6, as indicated.in Fig. 1. It will be obvious that the water current passing through thepassage 9 from the water entrance 10 first acts upon the first curvedblade or back 6 torotate the scoop upon its axis, and is then deflected,on account of its curved or deflecting surface, to direct the pressureof said current upon the second curved blade 6, in such a manner as toassist in the rotation of the scoop before being discharged through thedischarge end 10. It will be further apparent that the water openings 10alternately become inlet entrances and discharge ends for the water asthe twin scoop is revolved and each individual scoop brought intoposition. In view of the rounded surfaces of the blades 6 the lattermeet with little 01' no resistance in the water during the rotation ofthe water wheel. It should also be noted, that the entire water wheel isto be submerged in the stream or river and that any number of twinscoops may be applied to this shaft, as desired, so that the operationof the same will not be affected by the rising and falling of the tide.

It is contemplated in connection with the invention to provide a currentdeflector 11 of any suitable construction adapted to be positioned at anangle to the water wheel, as shown in Fig. 1, for directing the currentinto the entrance opening 10 of the scoop 6, and in view of the positionof the de-. flector 11, the water will be discharged from the oppositewater opening 10 into dead water, as may be seen from Fig. 1. Thedefiector, preferably, consists of a plurality of vertical uprights 12having secured thereto by any suitable means the sheet metal plates 13.To prevent debris, andthe like, from being carried into contact with andthrough the scoop 6, a rack or screen 1 1 is provided in advance of thewater wheel and disposed at an angle thereto and to the deflector 11.The rack 14, as here shown, preferably, consists of a plurality ofspaced bars 15 supportedby the uprights 16, it being understood that theuprights 12 of the deflector and the uprights 16 of the rack areembedded in the bottom of the river or stream.

Any suitable or approved means may be provided for transmitting powerfrom the shaft 1. 'In the present embodiment, the said means comprisesthe shaft 17 provided upon one end with a pulley 18 and upon the otherend with a gear 19 adapted to mesh with a bevel gear 20 rigid upon theupper end of the shaft 1.

In Fig. 4:, a slight modification of the twin propelling scoop or bladeis shown. In this embodiment, the back or curved blade 6 and thesegmental sections 7 are formed integral. In this construction, thecurved back 6 will be curved also in cross section and, therefore,offers lessresistance to the water and gives less friction to thepassage of the water through the scoop.

In Figs. 5 and 6, another embodiment of the invention is shown. Thisembodiment contemplates a slight modification of the construction andarrangement of the water wheel or scoop 6. In this instance, the scoopconsists in a plurality of curved blades 21 radiating from the shaft 1and having their ends disposed on opposite sides of the shaft and in aline diametrically extending therethrough, the inner ends of the scoopbeing spaced to a less degree than the outer ends from the shaft. Inthis form of the invention the curved blades of the scoop are notconfined to a half circle, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, but may havetheir radii increase outwardly, thus having their outer ends providingsubstantially tangential scoops or funnels with respect to the shaft 1.Segmental sections 22 are secured to the upper and lower edges of theblades 21, in a manner similar to that shown in Figs. 2 and 3, forproviding suitable water passages. The segments 22 are adapted to havethe shaft I extend therethrough and be rigidly secured thereto, wherebythe wheel is supported in position.

Having thus described my invention, it is believed that a full and clearunderstanding of the same may be had, and it is to be understood thatthe invention is not limited to the precise and exact constructionherein shown and described, but that certain changes may be resorted tothat fall within the legitimate scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is 1. A motor of the class described comprising, -ashaft, a twin propelling blade adapted to be carried upon said shaft,each blade consisting of a curved plate disposed on opposite sides ofthe shaft and radiating therefrom with their concave surfacessubstantially opposing, and substantially semicircular plates secured tosaid curved plate and to said shaft, said semi-circular plates formingthe side walls of said blade.

2. A motor of the class described comprising, a shaft, a twin propellingblade secured to the shaft, each blade comprising a curved plate, saidplates being arranged on opposite sides of the shaft with their concavesurfaces opposing. the inner and outer ends of both plates in a lineextending diametrically through the shaft, and means for securing saidplates in a position oppositely radiating from said shaft, the

concave surfaces of said plates being adapted to be successivelyoperated upon by a current of fluid whereby said shaft is rotated.

3. A motor wheel comprising, a substantially S-shaped member having apassage therethrough and openings in the ends of said member, and ashafthaving said member secured thereto, the ends of said S-shaped memberbeing adapted to be successively moved in position to allow fluidcurrent to flow through said passage and act upon the curved wallsthereof, whereby the shaft is rotated.

4:. A motor wheel comprising a substantially S-shaped member having apassage therethrough and openings in the ends of said member, a shafthaving said member secured thereto, the ends of said S-shaped memberbeing adapted to be successively moved in position to allow fluidcurrent to flow through said passage and act upon the curved wallsthereof, whereby the shaft is rotated, and current deflecting means fordirecting an increased pressure of fluid upon the end of said membermoved into position to be operated upon.

5. A motor wheel comprising, a shaft, a pair of propelling bladessecured to the shaft and having a substantially S-shaped passageextending through both of said blades, the ends of said passage beingextended through said blades and adapted to be successively moved intoposition to allow fluid current tofiow through said passage and act uponthe curved walls thereof, whereby said blades and shaft are rotated.

6. In a motor of the class described, a shaft, a propelling wheelsecured to the shaft and comprising a plurality of substantially curvedplates arranged to have their opposite ends disposed on opposite sidesof the shaft, and means for securing said plates in position radiatingfrom said shaft, the concave surfaces of the plates being adapted to besuccessively operated upon by a current of fluid whereby the shaft I isrotated.

7. In a motor of the class described, a shaft, a propelling wheelsecured to the shaft and comprising a plurality of curved platesarranged to have their opposite ends disposed on opposite sides of theshaft, and means for securing said plates in .position radiating fromsaid shaft, the inner and outer ends of oppositely radiating plates in aline extending diametrically through the shaft, the concave surfaces ofthe plates being adapted to be successively operated upon by a currentof fluid whereby the shaft is rotated.

8. A motor of the class described comprising a shaft, a propelling wheelsecured to the shaft and comprising a plurality of substantially curvedplates, said plates being arranged to have their opposite ends disposedon opposite sides of and spaced my hand in presence of two subscribingwitfrom the shaft, and means for securing said nesses. plates inposition relative to the shaft, the concave surfaces of the plates beingadapted to be successively operated upon by the current of fluid wherebythe shaft is rotated. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set JOHN G.BUNNELL.

\Vitnesses:

ARTHUR FRAZIER, WALTER HAYDEN.,

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

